Two Calif. departments unknowingly probe same mysterious murder

By Jill LeovyLos Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES - Late one night in 2003, a body was found in a scorched minivan along a Watts riverbank.

The remains lay blackened and twisted in the front seat. The only recognizable parts were a Mexican cowboy-style belt buckle, a bracelet and a wad of cash in the back pocket that had somehow been spared by the blaze.